CSA96 Rockchip RK3399 Hexa Core Android 4K TV Box Review

CSA96 Rockchip Android 4K TV Box Review

We have seen a couple Rockchip RK3399 TV boxes being released and some of them got some really bad reviews, however today we have the CSA96 Rockchip RK3399 hexa core Android 6.0 4K TV box. In this review we will be testing most of its core hardware, and we also have some benchmark scores and gameplay demonstration. Also to the end of review you have my final comments and recommendations.

Let’s start with the CPU or some might say CPUs. The CSA96 sports the Rockchip RK3399 hexa core (6X) CPU running up to 2.0GHz (true 2.0GHz) unlike other TV boxes that claim to run 2.0 GHz and only max at 1.5GHz. The RK3399 comprises of two cores, the quad core Cortex A53, and the dual core Cortex A72, for a total of six cores. This CPU makes this box ideal for demanding tasks and 3D gaming.

When it comes to memory, the CSA96 comes with 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 32GB of internal storage. This is great because in recent times apps and games have increased in size by 100% and Android games are now cumming in the GB size and require more space and RAM to run efficiently. With 32GB internal and 4GB RAM the CSA96 has the right stuff for any demanding app or game. It would have been the ideal situation if they used DDR4 RAM and 64GB of internal storage. I guess that would have affected the price of the box.

If the CSA96 is classified as a high end TV box then that must be reflected by a good GPU. The CSA96 display is powered by ARM Mali T860 quad core (4X) running up to 650Mhz. This it the highest rated GPU currently being used in a TV box, and is used in all RK3399 TV boxes.

The wireless connectivity is consistent with most modern boxes, it has support for 802.11ac dual band 2.4GHz + 5.8GHz WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. You also have wired connection with Ethernet LAN speed of up to 1000M

The CSA96 runs on a Rooted version of Android 6.0 operating system which is OK, but for such good hardware Android 7.1 would be better. However, this can be achieved via a firmware update. The User interface is quite different to other launchers I’ve used it comes with custom settings area and large buttons and slide screens. It has a purple theme color and it has a navigation bar at the bottom, and a status bar at the top for easy navigating, multitasking, and closing apps.

The operating system comes with a few social media apps, two streaming apps Netflix and Kodi, and the rest is core system apps. After installing my own streaming apps, third party addons on Kodi, benchmarking apps and a couple games, I was very pleased with my findings.

Benchmarks and Performance

Streaming free movies and TV shows was a breeze, I was able to watch free HD streams top movies and TV series from various sources. 4K videos ran without any problems as high as 400mbps at 60fps in formats of ts, mkv, mpeg4.

Gaming on the CSA96 was also very good. I was able to play Injustice-2 mobile version which is a very difficult game to run on older hardware, and it ran smoothly on this device.

I am very pleased with the performance of this device, t I like the bench mark scores they are some of the highest scores I’ve had on my site. Everything ran well on this box, I have no complains. The box does not overheat or freeze up or shut down on you. If I was to make any negative remarks about this box, I wouldn’t call it negative, it more of a tech junkie thing where we always look for the highest hardware with little regard for price, so I would like DDR4 instead of DDR3, 64GB of internal storage instead of 32GB, and Android 7.1 instead of Android 6.0. Be mindful these and not cons but it would have been the BOMB to have this box maxed out on everything.